Iris
by Spunky Violet
Summary: Max tells her story of how she learned to deal with abuse and bullying, and how through friendship, she learned to heal. I know it's cliche but I think this is going to be really good. So read it, review it, cause there's fax and that just makes everything more enjoyable. : CURRENTLY ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again everyone :) I am back! WOOHOO!**

**I know I got a lot of reviews to do a sequel to my Highschool to the Maximum, and that will definitely happen, but for right now, I wanted to right another cliché story. Yes I know. BUT we all love clichés! **

**I really hope you all like it and review it up! I love you all :3 enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: I'm not James Patterson. So sad.**

**This is all going to be in Max's POV**

**Chapter 1**

_When everything's meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am._

To sum up my life in one word it would be pain. Not the pain that a normal child would experience, the simple scrape of the knee. How I'd long for pain to be that simple, that harmless.

The pain I deal with came from people stronger, more powerful than me. It came from the people I thought loved me. It came from my parents.

Jeb and Maria, who loved me until I was 10. Then everything changed. And I always thought that it was all my fault. I would torture myself with the knowledge that it was something I did that made Mommy cry, Daddy drink, and the screaming at night. I always thought that it was my fault that Daddy beat mommy.

And then Mommy left. She left me. "Daddy" became unresponsive, which I learned was better than when he was focused, because I'd pay for it.

He started out just with punching and kicking. If I screwed up, or did something badly, I'd have to pay. This went on until I was 14. I taught myself karate, martial arts, and how to protect myself, even if I couldn't from my father. I learned how to use foundation and cover up at age 11, and how to conceal the pain by the time I was 12. I'm now 17, and this is my story of survival, self-confidence, and getting help even when I thought I was too far broken to be repaired.

Not only did I have to deal with the physical abuse at home, I dealt with verbal abuse at school. Yes that's right.

The tough Maximum Ride was bullied.

And yet, I learned over time that life is a journey, and that our hardships make us stronger. But they don't define who we are, they simple help us learn.

So here's my story, won't you listen?

**Yeah I know it's not much, but it's the intro, so what do you expect? :) I really think ya'll are going to like this one. Review it up for ideas, suggestion's and shenanigans like that. **

**The quote used at the beginning is from the song Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.**

**QUOTE OF THE DAY**

_Everyone has the potential to be something. To do something great. Don't let what other people have to say keep you from doing what you love. Stay true to yourself._

**I'll be updating soon since I start summer vacation in 3 days! But I'm going away so no internet until the end of June :( sorry! I'll try and update Tuesday before I leave. **

**Peace out :3**

**Spunky Violet**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sup homies? Back from vaca and ready to write! :D**

**I'm going to start my very boring authors note by answering the reviews…**

**Infinite Legend~ Yay :D Thank you so much for reviewing my stories! And I'll definitely check out Letters and Lights… for you I have… Courage My Love. My personal favorite song being Bridges.**

**kEePtHeHeAt~ Just wait and see ;)**

** .York~ I'm totally flattered that you want my take on your character, and it sounds totally awesome, I'm going to have to decline for now. SORRY :( I've just got a ton on my plate and I'll be lucky enough to get this done along with my summer reading and shtuff. I'm super busy during the summer. Maybe another time. BUT if you ever want to see something in my future stories, just let me know!**

**AND THAT ABOVE SENTENCE GOES FOR ALL OF YOU TOO! I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS!**

**I think that's all I wanted to address, and to my other two reviewers thanks so much for reviewing! I hope to see some more once this story starts going places. The first 4 chapters will be flashbacks to the first week of each of Max's high school years most likely. So yeah. Disclaimer time!**

**Disclaimer- I'm not in any way, shape, or form remotely even close to James Patterson. I'm just lil' ol me :3 And I don't own the song Iris either. I'm not the Goo Goo Dolls.**

_Flashback to Max's freshmen year of high school, age 15, first day._

_And I don't want the world to see me, 'Cause I don't think that they'd understand._

"BEEEEEP BEEEEP BEEEEEP" SMASH!

Well crap.

There goes my new alarm clock. Glancing at the barely readable digital numbers, I read the current time of 5 in the morning. And why, you might ask, am I up at 5 in the morning on this glorious first day of school? Because the devil I call Jeb wants to wake up to a steaming hot breakfast and a cup of coffee at 6, and if I'm a minute late, I'll gain a new black and blue! Woo. I've already got enough to go through a whole container of cover up. I don't need any more.

I quickly throw on a pair of sweatpants and a tank-top, because it's still hot out here in Penn state, and my major bruises are on my legs and abdomen. I pull my wavy mid-back length sandy blonde hair into a pony-tail, letting my scene-ish side bangs hang loose.

I stumble slowly down the stairs and start breakfast, as quietly as I can. Don't wanna poke the hornets nest now do I?

I set breakfast out at exactly 5:59, throw on some converse, and walk out the door, grabbing my black bag, keys, phone, and iPod touch I bought on eBay. I wandered around for a bit, and then went to the park and sat on the swing. I had an half an hour to kill before school started, at 7:00.

I just sat there, enjoying the sunrise, letting the rays wash over me and take my pain away. How I envied the birds flying above me. If I had wings, I could fly away from this hell-hole, and be free.

~TIME SKIP TO SCHOOL~

I grabbed my schedule and met up with my one and only friend Iggy. This boy was like my brother, and was always there for me. He was the only one that knew about the… shenanigans that went on in my house.

"Hey Max! What's your schedule?" Iggy questioned, his pale ginger hair falling into his pale blue eyes.

"Band, Latin, Geometry, World History, English, Select Orchestra, Biology and Gym." I rambled off. "What bout you Iggster?"

"THE EXACT SAME! YES!" Iggy cheered down the hallway, skipping ahead of me, then turning back and grabbing my arm and making me skip with him. Wincing slightly at the sharp pains shooting through my legs, I tried skipping with him, only to fall down, tripping over an outstretched leg, belonging to my mortal enemies, Fang and Lissa, the power couple of the school. Even as freshmen, they were already some of the most popular people in school. I tried very hard not to cry out in pain as I slammed into the ground, but I did wince and grunt out loud. Fang had hit my almost sprained ankle from last week when I was shoved down the stairs by Jeb. Did I mention he's been getting more violent? Well he is.

Lissa kicked my books down the hall as Iggy helped me up. My pant leg had rolled up slightly, revealing a very bruised ankle which had Iggy looking at me very worriedly. I quickly fixed my pants, and let him lift me up.

There was a fit of laughter coming from Lissa and her minions that had arrived, and Fang was chuckling.

Assholes. Burn in hell.

"C'mon Max, lets beat it." Iggy whispered to me.

I nodded, put on my best poker face, and walked slowly, grinding my teeth at the pain, so that it wasn't visible. I wanted to come up from that experience looking like it didn't bother me, and that I was a stronger and better person than that.

And so begins my first year of high school.

**And that's a wrap folks! New chapter up next weekish! :D**

**I'm going to break it down starting with flashbacks of max's high school years, leading up to her senior year, when everything changes. And Fang won't forever be evil. And Iggy will not and never will date Max or think of her in that way. He's the brother she never had (no Ari).**

**So I hope ya'll enjoy it, review it up! Love you all and check back soon, or put it on story alert! :3**

**QUOTE OF THE DAY**

_A hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obsticales._

_Unknown_

**Have a super fantastic day! :) Love you guys! Buh bye!**

**Spunky Violet**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well hai :3**

…**. No need to shun me! I love you guys! I'M SOOOOO SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE THE PAST WEEK OR TWO! **

**I've been super uber busy, volunteering at my library, and then I had to work the past few days too! But I'm off this weekend so hopefully more chapters….**

**Please keep reading and reviewing and shenanigans like that. And yeah. I think that's all I have to say for now. Oh and I know my chapters are kinda short at only about 1,000 words. I never realized how short they looked on fanfic. (I always read on my iPod). So sorry about that.**

**Finnick: Here Vi, have a sugar cube.**

**Me: I don't need a sugar cube Finnick. But you can give one to all my reviewers and readers!**

**Finnick: Surely.**

**Me: FANG DO THE DISCLAIMER!**

**Fang: Do I have to?**

**Me: YES. DO IT NOW. **

**Fang: *mumbles* Spunky Violet owns nothing owned by James Patterson, or anything else mentioned in the story. The rights belong to the respectful owners.**

_Flashback to Max's freshmen year of high school, age 15, still first day._

_I just want you to know who I am._

After Iggy helped me up, we headed off to band. I'm the flute/ piccolo player and Iggy plays Alto-Sax, right behind me. We're both first chair, even as freshmen. We had auditioned during the summer. Lissa was also in this class, a flute player as well. She was last chair because well.

She doesn't have a musical bone in her body. Yet she thinks she's better than all of us. That's part of the reason she hates me. Because I'm a better musician.

Band was pretty uneventful, just going over scales and arpeggios, and the bell rang. We packed up our instruments and Iggy and I headed off to Latin. Our teacher was nice enough to let us pick our own seats, so Iggy and I sat in the back corner next to each other. The day was going pretty smoothly, geometry, world history, English. Things started getting eventful during Orchestra. This class I had with Fang. Iggy and I both played bass, cause we're just awesome like that, while Fang played violin.

I walked in, with my lunch and Iggy at my side. Our teacher, Mrs. Haven, gave us a free period just to get to know each other.

Iggy and I whipped out a deck of cards, attracting some attention. A girl with mocha skin and a blonde haired boy came over.

"Hello, I'm Nudge, well actually Monique and you must be Max I really like your hair it's soooo pretty and long, are you playing cards, what game, can we play? That's Gazzy he has a sister named Angel who's in band, and don't ask why we call him Gazzy because you'll really regret it. Do you like unicorns? I like unicorns OH and Ben N Jerry's ice cream, because it's soooooooooooo good and yummy and delicious we should go get some after school today and !"

…I think my ears a bleeding.

"Nudge, I think you might have scared them!" Gazzy said, slapping his hand over her mouth. "But yeah, I'm Gazzy. You're Max and Iggy right? I think we have World History together?"

"Yeah I thought you looked familiar." Iggy stated, examining them both carefully. "And we're playing the most amazing card game none to man. If you guess it you can play."

"Well I doubt its Go fish, so let's go with Egyptian Rat Screw." Gazzy guessed.

"… You sir, have just gained two new friends. And you can play too Nudge." I said, smiling at the two of them.

Turns out Nudge and Gazzy both play cello. And our silent enemy? Sitting in the corner texting, probably Lissa, and tuning his violin.

And so began a very intense game that resulted in a crying Iggy, a victorious me, and a bleeding Gazzy. Nudge for once, was speechless.

The bell rang, and we gathered our stuff and walked upstairs to the biology room. We all had that class together, which was nice. We formed our own lab group.

A girl with mocha skin and a blonde haired boy came over.

"Hello, I'm Nudge, well actually Monique and you must be Max I really like your hair it's soooo pretty and long, are you playing cards, what game, can we play? That's Gazzy he has a sister named Angel who's in band, and don't ask why we call him Gazzy because you'll really regret it. Do you like unicorns? I like unicorns OH and Ben N Jerry's ice cream, because it's soooooooooooo good and yummy and delicious we should go get some after school today and !"

…I think my ears a bleeding.

"Nudge, I think you might have scared them!" Gazzy said, slapping his hand over her mouth. "But yeah, I'm Gazzy. You're Max and Iggy right? I think we have World History together?"

"Yeah I thought you looked familiar." Iggy stated, examining them both carefully. "And we're playing the most amazing card game none to man. If you guess it you can play."

"Well I doubt its Go fish, so let's go with Egyptian Rat Screw." Gazzy guessed.

"… You sir, have just gained two new friends. And you can play too Nudge." I said, smiling at the two of them.

Turns out Nudge and Gazzy both play cello. And our silent enemy? Sitting in the corner texting, probably Lissa, and tuning his violin.

And so began a very intense game that resulted in a crying Iggy, a victorious me, and a bleeding Gazzy. Nudge for once, was speechless.

The bell rang, and we gathered our stuff and walked upstairs to the biology room. We all had that class together, which was nice. We formed our own lab group.

But then came gym class. Where Iggy and I got to deal with Fang and Lissa.

Luckily we didn't need to change for the first marking period because we started with an outdoors activity course that involved rock wall and zip lining and stuff, so we didn't need to change. And to start off the marking period, we would be team building, doing trust falls and stuff. Iggy and I immediately paired up. We avoided switching partners until the teacher forced us apart. He paired each of us off with someone else. Iggy got stuck with Fang, the poor guy. I got a girl named Angel.

She smiled at me. We introduced ourselves, and I discovered she was Gazzy's sister. So I got off easy.

We'd be doing the same exercise tomorrow, much to my dismay, and the teacher would be picking our partners. Joy.

Other than a crappy morning, the day was pretty okay.

We all went out to Ben N Jerry's, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel and I. Everything was in walking distance.

We ordered and sat down, waiting for our Vermonster.

And we were having a grand ole time, until the She devil and boyfriend and co walked in. I hadn't noticed, but I saw Iggy tense up, so I just assumed that it was them. But I didn't want her spoiling my good time, so I ignored it and went up to grab our ice-cream. Right was I was walking back, I was shoved. I twisted the same freaking ankle going down, and I felt something pop. A warm liquid, I'm assuming my blood, trickled down my foot, soaking my shoe.

I remember hearing Iggy calling out my name and seeing a black clad figure moving towards me, as I hit my head and blacked out.

Then there was darkness.

**So yeah. Interesting first day. **

**I'd don't really have much to say, other then have a super fantastic day and stuff.**

**QUOTE OF THE DAY-**

_Be confident. Too many days are wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren't. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is only when you accept everything you are – and aren't- that you will truly succeed."_

**So have a super fantastic few days! **

**Love ya'll!**

**~Spunky Violet :D**


End file.
